CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera isn't the only one in his house with coaching experience.
His wife, Stephanie Rivera, was an assistant with the WNBA's Washington Mystics.
The two Bay-area natives returned home for the biggest game of Ron Rivera's life.
"It's easier when you're coaching than when you are in the stands," Stephanie Rivera said.
By her own admission, Stephanie Rivera is tough to watch a Panthers game with her around.
"I just try to get to the stadium, be pacing wherever I am," she said. "A lot of nervous energy. Hopefully at the end of the game, we win by one point. That's all I care about."
She will have support when the Panthers take on the Denver Broncos Sunday for Super Bowl 50.
"I hear there is going to be a lot Denver Broncos fans, so we really need to represent," she said. "I need to get my cousins and their kids and things."
The season has the potential to end on an incredible high for the Rivera family.
A fire tore through the Rivera’s house more than one year ago, then Ron Rivera lost his brother Mickey to pancreatic cancer.
Six months later, Ron Rivera is looking for his first Super Bowl title.
"It's just great, you know," Stephanie Rivera said. "Everyone is having so much fun and so proud to say they are a Panthers fan."
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